Lawn sprinkler



July 31, 1951 w, MEFFAN 2,562,503

LAWN SPRINKLER Filed June 24, 1950 ROBE/P2 w. MEI-FAN,

INVEN TOR.

A TTORNE Y.

Patented July 31, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 9 Claims.

The invention relates to a lawn sprinkler.

An object of the invention is to provide a sprinkler which is simple in construction and having a small number of parts which can be made by die casting with the parts secured together by press fitting or by rolling the edge of one part over another part.

A further object of the invention is to provide a sprinkler in a form to accommodate any one of several sprinkler heads so that the manufacturer can readily supply sprinklers which will deflect the water into various patterns-such as square, rectangular and circular.

This application is a continuation-in-part of Serial Number 4,171, filed January 24, 1948, for Lawn Sprinkler.

For further details of the invention, reference may be made to the drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a plan View of a sprinkler having a square spray pattern.

Fig. 2 is a View of the sprinkler in side elevation.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the casing on line 3-3 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows, the stem being shown in full lines.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the stem looking at the under side of its deflector head.

Fig. 5 is a side view in elevation, partly in vertical section of a modified sprinkler having a rectangular spray pattern.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view on line 6-6, looking in the direction of the arrows, with parts broken away.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the sprinkler head of Figs. 5 and 6.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a sprinkler head having a circular spray pattern.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the sprinkler comprises a die casting having a circular flat bottom I, from which arises a cylindrical wall 2, forming a casing 3. The casing 3 has integral spaced feet 4 and 5 projecting from one side of the casing 3 and similar feet 6 and 1 projecting from the other side thereof, the feet 4 and 6 being in alignment and the feet Sand 1 being in alignment.

The fiat bottom wall I is extended as shown in Fig. 3 at 8 to form the bottom wall of a nipple 9 having threads l0. The bottom surface ll of the nipple 9 and the bottom surface I2 of the bottom I are in alignment as shown in Fig. 3.

At the inside of the upper end l3 of the wall 2 is a circular recess [4 in which is press-fitted the outer circular edge l5 of a disk l6 which forms a cover for the casing 3. The circular rim 48 at the top of casing 3 is rolled to provide a rolled edge 49 which overhangs the margin of cover l6 to secure it in place and form a watertight seal between the outer edge of cover It and casing 3. At the center of disk i6 is an outlet opening ll. The stem I8 is tapered at its inner end as indicated at I9 and is press-fitted into the tapered bore 20 in a boss 2! on the inside of bottom I. The stem I8 is smaller in diameter than the opening ll.

On the outer end of stem I8 is a head 22. The head 22 is solid and is cast in one piece with the stem I8. The under side of the head 22 deflects the water issuing from opening I! along and around the stem into a spray which covers a square area. The under side of the head 22 has an undulating surface formed by four conic sections 23, 24, 25, 26, which are inverted and which diverge from the stem l8. Also the axes of the conic sections 23 to 26 diverge at an angle greater than degree and less than degrees with respect to the axis of stem [8. The conic sections 23 to 26 are substantially tangent at their adjacent edges and they flare outwardly from each other as indicated at 30 and 3| to provide four straight gullies like 34 which extend upwardly and outwardly from the stem as indicated at 32 to the outer end 33 of the sprinkler head.

Each of the conic sections 23 to 26 is truncated by a vertical plane, such truncated portion forming one of the four vertical sides like 40, ll, 42 of the head 22 as shown in Fig. 2. Each conical surface merges with one of the sides like 4! in a convex line as indicated at 43, which represents the convex lower edge of the vertical side 4| and the upper edge of the side 4| is a straight line 44 forming one edge of the square head 22. The outer edge of the spray from each of the conic sections 23, 24, 25, 26 shown in Figs. 1 to 4 is a straight line parallel to the respective edges like 44, giving a square spray pattern.

The inside of wall 2 has a taper which inclines outwardly in a upward direction as indicated at 45 and the bore 20 is similarly tapered, and the recess l4 may also have a slight similar taper, to permit the draft of the die.

The sprinkler comprises three parts which are readily assembled by press-fitting and the flat bottom I provides an extended surface for a support when the stem l8 and the cover [6 are frictionally fitted in place by pressure. Also the fiat cover I6 and the fiat head 22 provide extended surfaces for the application of pressure for such pressure fitting.

As shown in Fig. 3, the outlet I1 is substantially larger in diameter than the stem [8 where by the water issuing therefrom strikes the upwardly extending convex surfaces of the head at different positions along the under side of the head whereby the spray is ejected somewhat uniformly to different distances from the sprinkler.

As shown in Fig. 1, the cover I6 is provided with a line 46 and the casing 3 is provided with a similar line 41 which are brought into alignment by properly positioning the cover 16 during assembly. This feature is not necessary in connection with the sprinkler of Fig. 1 wherein the outlet I! is a complete circle but it is of advantage in connection with the former sprinkler head shown in Figs. to 7 wherein half of the outlet is blocked. In Figs. 5 to 7, the casing 50 is the same as casing 3 and cover 5| is the same as cover [6. Also, the stem 52 at its inner end is the same as before, but is provided with a modified form of head 53 to get a rectangiflar spray pattern, the outer edge of which, that is the outer edge beyond the nipple 54, is substantially a straight line at right angles of the axis of nipple 5 3 and extending through the axis of stem 52. In the example shown, the front half of outlet 55 is blocked off by an integral extension 56 on the head 53. Extension 56 has a flat bottom 51 which rests on top of cover 51 and as shown in Fig. 7 it has inner faces 58, 59 which lie in the same plane which extends vertically through the axis of the stem 52. The cover 5| is lined up with the casing 59 by means of marks 60, 6|, see Fig. 5, as previously described, these marks lying in a plane passing through the axis of the stem 52 (see Fig. 1). The head 53 is brought into alignment with the cover 5] by means of a hole 52 in the bottom 51, and a cooperating pin 63 on the cover 5|.

To obtain a circular spray pattern, the casing and cover previously described may be used in connection with sprinkler head 10, shown in Fig. 8. The head 10 has a stem H which is mounted as described in connection with Fig. l. The head has an inverted conical surface 12 to deflect the water into a circular spray pattern.

Various modifications may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A sprinkler comprising a casing, said casing comprising a die casting having a flat bottom and a cylindrical wall arising therefrom, said wall having a circular recess inside of its upper end, a flat circular disk fitting at its edge in said recess, an outlet opening at the center of said disk, said bottom having an internal boss having a tapered bore below said disk in line with said outlet opening, and a stem smaller in diameter than said outlet opening and extending therethrough and secured in said bore, a deflector head on the outer end of said stem, a threaded nipple extension at one side of said casing, said casing and said bore having a taper inclined outwardly in a direction toward the top of said casing.

2. A sprinkler according to claim 1, wherein the top of said casing has a roll edge overlying the margin of said disk.

3. A sprinkler according to claim 2, cooperatin index marks on said casing and on said cover for aligning the same during assembly and a co- .4 operating pin and aperture on said disk and said head for aligning said head with respect to said disk during assembly, the inner end of said stem having a taper frictionally fitting in said bore.

4. A sprinkler comprising a casing having an open top, a cover for said top, said cover having a circular opening forming an outlet, an inlet for said casing, a stem extending through said opening and having a deflector head on the outer end thereof, said deflector head having an extension obstructing a portion of said outlet, said deflector head having a deflecting surface opposite the unobstructed portion of said outlet.

5. A sprinkler comprising a casing having a base and a cover, said cover havin an opening, a portion of said opening being smaller than another portion of said opening, the larger portion of said opening forming an outlet, an inlet for said casing, a stem arising from said base, said stem extending through said opening and fitting said smaller portion of said opening, said stem having a deflector head on the outer end thereof, said deflector head having a lateral extension fitting on said cover and overlying the smaller portion of said opening, said deflector head having a deflecting surface opposite said outlet.

6. A sprinkler according to claim 5 wherein the larger portion of said opening is semi-annular, said deflecting surface comprising a semicircular array of inverted cones having a rectangular base for a rectangular spray pattern.

7. A sprinkler comprising a casing having a top having an opening, a stem extending through said opening at one side thereof and spaced from the other side thereof providing a semi-annular outlet, a head on the outer end of said stem, said head merging with one-half the periphery of said stem opposite said outlet and having diametrically opposite longitudinal faces lying in a plane through the axis of said stem, said faces coinciding with the ends of said semi-annular outlet, said head having inverted conical surfaces above said outlet from one of said faces to the other.

8. A sprinkler comprising a casing having a bottom and having a top having an opening, a stem fitting in one side of said opening and spaced from the other side thereof, providing an arcuate outlet extending part way around said stem, said head having a deflector above said outlet, said head inwardly of said deflector having a transverse inner surface fitting on said cover at said one side of said opening.

9. A sprinkler according to claim 7, said casing having a base, said stem having a press flt in said base, said head and said top having a cooperating pin and recess for registering said head and top when fitting said stem and base together.

ROBERT W. MEFFAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

